Facing inwards and chat

***This is a complex challenge. Please read challenge comments below and click "show full rules" to understand the mechanism of this challenge.**** The rule of thirds should be a simple guide for the making of good compositions. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
*Please check back for details for uploading an improved version*
However reasearch about what people consider good composition does NOT support this rule, Instead the preference seems to be for assymetric, "inward" oriented compostitions: - http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~plab/pdf/PalmerGardner%26Wickens-1.pdf
Show us ONE picture in which the subject is inward faced. However, entry in this challenge also obliges to give comments about all other entries in the series. Eventually you may enter an improved version of the first photo. See additional rules. You are encouraged to provide early comments during the submission stage to allow contestants to create an improved photo to submit before voting begins.

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Announced:

Sunday, 1st January, 2012 (GMT)

Submissions:

Sunday, 8th January, 2012 –
Saturday, 14th January, 2012
(GMT)

Voting:

Sunday, 15th January, 2012 –
Saturday, 21st January, 2012
(GMT)

Processing rules:

Post processing is as cosmetics, use a little and it enhances the end result artistically. Use too much and the result is blatantly artificial, which is frawned upon in this challenge. So HDR and standard basic post processing is okay, as long as it is not overwhelmingly noticable.

No composites, we want honest pictures

Capture date rules:

No restrictions.

Additional rules:

ENTER ONLY ONE PICTURE FIRST!

Each entrant must, on their honor first, write a helpful Comment/Critique for the other 19 entries no later than the ending of the voting phase. It should be describing what they like and/or dislike about the photo, and what they may have done differently,

After receiving comments it is allowed to enter a second improved version of your first picture.

Include "second version" in the title.

DO NOT WITHDRAW THE FIRST PHOTO THOUGH. we should be able to compare them.

To allow proper evalutation and balance loading times, the longest side of the submitted picture should be between 1000 and 1600 pixels

The number of participants is limited to 20. This cannot be reflected in the total entry limit. It will be announced in the comments when the challenge is full. Expect DQ if you enter after that.

Your complaint (along with the complaints of others regarding this entry) will be
reviewed by the challenge owner. Depending upon the nature and applicability of the
complaint, the entry may be disqualified. In extreme circumstances the user who submitted
the entry may receive a ban from the challenge or series in question.

Sweet, and nicely composed. The color of the water is probably too accurate - it makes for a large area of drab green. You could crop off the top and bottom to get rid of some of it, and do a little PP to bring out some more attractive color and texture to the water.

Great capture - getting any set of moving animals together is always a challenge. It feels to me like they are looking up and away - A crop on the small white swan that is farthest to the left of frame does look like it is looking inward .

I find this challenge - Challenging to even determine what is inward :)

Love the sweetness of this subject! -All the little swans are even facing the inside of the frame just like their mamma! -There are just a couple of things I would do to take this lovely capture and really make it pop. First I would brighten the color saturation just a little bit. Maybe bring out the highlights of the water-texture, since it's taking up the majority of the frame and should be a little stronger (without taking emphasis away from the swans). Then I would be tempted to crop it in just a little more, -creating more of a horizontal format. This could end up being a really stunning wildlife shot if you pushed it just a little bit further!